Although Early Head Start (EHS) is a federal-to-local program, there are opportunities for collaboration at the state level that have expanded in recent years. State leaders can seize opportunities to break down silos and create collaborative state systems and programs to better meet the needs of vulnerable young children in their states. This…

This publication emerged from an invitational meeting held by "Project Zero to Three" to address how best to provide effective, culturally sensitive, and comprehensive early intervention programs to all infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families in an equitable way. Following an overview of the concept of culture and how that…

The report analyzes roles of mental health professionals in implementing Public Law 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Amendments of 1986, which established the Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP). A December, 1987, conference of administrators, clinicians, policymakers, and parent representatives from federal, state, and…

This report of the General Accounting Office to a Congressional Committee examines possible overlapping functions of three federal special education grant programs mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The programs are: (1) Special Education Grants to States (School-age Grants); (2) Special Education Preschool Grants…

This report discusses family policy issues raised by the implementation of Public Law 99-457, Part H, the Infants and Toddlers section of the Education of the Handicapped Amendments of 1986. The report is the outcome of a policy options work conference in which a small group of knowledgeable parents and professionals identified key policy issues.…

A survey of 31 Colorado special education directors determined which handicapped children, from birth to age 5, should be served in which settings. Results found that administrators see an emerging role for the public schools, are willing to serve a broader range of young handicapped children, and see the need for more integrated settings.…

This study examined each of Kansas's 40 local interagency coordinating councils, which were established to coordinate services to infants and toddlers with special needs and their families under Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990. The study looked at council scope, productivity, membership, governance, training…

The field of early childhood intervention, which strives to meet the needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities, has come of age, but interagency collaboration to provide family-focused multidisciplinary services remains more a goal than a reality. Issues in the development of multidisciplinary services include fragmentation of services,…

This monograph reports achievements of the SKI*HI project, a 3-year outreach project to improve access and development of services to presently unserved or underserved infants and young children with hearing impairments as well as to provide leadership and technical assistance to agencies implementing the SKI*HI model. The project provided direct…

This final report describes activities of Project INSITE, a 3-year home intervention program delivering services to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with deaf blindness or other multidisability sensory impairments. The family centered model features the use of early intervention professionals known as parent advisors who visit homes weekly to…

Fifty states responded to a survey comparing definitions of high risk and determining which agencies serve high-risk infants and toddlers. Results showed that: only 24 states have definitions of risk, populations eligible for services vary immensely among states, and the majority of lead agencies were located in departments of education.…

A survey of state agencies found that early intervention services to visually impaired children, aged birth-two and three-five years, were permissive or mandated in the 29 respondents' states or territories. All respondents used definitions of visual impairment similar to the federal definition, and all required a medical diagnosis. (JDD)

This study identified critical factors in two states as they begin to develop family centered policies for the Infant and Toddlers Program as required by Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It focused on the Individual Family Service Plan, the identification of families' strengths and needs, and case management. Data were…

This study examined states' policies toward families in the context of requirements of Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to provide early intervention services to all families with infants and toddlers with special needs. The study reviewed 13 "Year 4" applications for Part H funds from states in all geographical…

This study attempted to describe and explain the different approaches taken by policymakers in a diverse group of states, as they seek to implement Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provides federal mandates and aid to assist states in planning and developing comprehensive multidisciplinary, interagency, coordinated…